Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-01-13
A kooRDIsH VILLAGE.
Swarthy Asiatics Who Have Not the Least
Conception of Mannerliness

Swarthy Aslatics Who Have Not the Least
Conception of MaDnerliness.
The shades of evening are beginning
to settle down over the wild mountain
GUS country round about 1t is grow
ing intentionally chilly for this early
in the evening, and the prospects look
favorable for supperless and most dis
agreeable night, when descry village
perched in an opening among the
mountains mile or thereabouts off to
the right Repairing thither l find it to
be Koordish village, where the novels
are more excavations than buildings;
buffaloes, horses, goats, chickens and
human beings all find shelter under the
same low roof; their respective quarters
are nothing but mere railing of rough
poles, and as the question of ventilation
is never even thought of the effect upon
ones olfactory nerves upon entering
is any thing but reassuring. The
filth and rags of these people is
something abominable; on account
of the chilliness of the evening they
have donned their heavy raiment; these
have evidently had rags patched on top
of other rags for years past until thew
have gradually developed into thick
quilted garments, in the innumerable
seams of which the most disgusting
chronological specimens, bred and en-.
gendered by their wretched mode of ex-
istcnce, live and perpetuate their kind.
However, repulsive as the outlook most
assuredly is, have no alternative but
to cast my lot among them till morning.
l am conducted into the Sheikh's
apartment, small room partitioned
off with pole from q stable of horses
and buflaloes, and where darkness is
made visible by the sickly glimmer of
grease lamp. The Sheikh, thin,
sallow-faced man of about
forty years, is reclining on
mattress in one corner smoking
cigarettes; a dozen ill-conditloned rag
mullins are sluatting about in various
attitudes, while the ragtag and bobtail
OF the population crowd into the buffalo
stable and survey me and the bicycle
from outside the partition pole, A cir
cular wooden-tray, containing an
abundance of bread, bowl of yaort
and small quantity of stringy cheese
that resembles chuncks of dried cod fish,
warped and twisted in the drying, is
brought in and placed in the middle of
the floor. Everybody in the room at
once gathers around it and begins eat
ing with as little formality as so many
wild animals, the SheSh silently mo-
tons for me to do the same. The
yaort bowl contains one solitary wood
en- spoon, with which they take turns at
eating mouthfuls. One is compelled
to draw the line somewhere.
even under the most uncom-
promising circumstances, and L
naturally drew it against eating yoart
with this same wooden spoon; making
small scoops with pieces of bread, / dip
you part and eat scoop and all together.
These particular Koords seem absolutely
ignorant of anything in the shape Of
mannerliness, or of consideration of
each other at the table. When the yoart
has been dipped into twice or thrice all
around the sheikh coolly confscates the
bowl, eats part of what is left, pours
water into the remainder and DELHI
erately drinks it all up; one or two 9TH
ers seize all the cheese, utterly regard
less of the fact that nothing remains for
myself and their companions, who, by
the way, seem to regard it as a perfectly
natural proceeding, Thomas Stercns,
IN Outing.